Hailing from Bucks County, PA, Jared Costa is a strangely upbeat young fella. Here in Glasgow such an attitude is unfamiliar. Having ten years of musical experience under his belt and having made something a local hero of himself, the logical step would be to release an album. And that's what he has done. Drawing on modern folk and Americana sounds, Costa has come out with an album that does well to capture his sound at its sharpest.
After starting in worryingly optimistic fashion, we reach, "Stronger", and the albums veers suddenly into "Nebraska"-era Springsteen territory. Any fears of Costa being a soft touch have been allayed for now. The title track returns to that sprightly sound that began the album while Costa works his harmonica nicely on "No Man's Land". Those Springsteen comparisons are getting harder and harder to avoid. The Boss apparently never smoked, but he sure sounded like he did. Somebody buy Mr Costa some cigarettes!
It would seem that Costa's real world observations serves as the primary source of his lyrics, and his craftsmanship - the way he brings the music and lyrics together - is to be admired. While probably not the finished article, Jared Costa has emerged on the scene at a good time. With the world in the state it's in, and Costa with his ability to observe and opine, he is sure to have plenty of songs for a follow-up. Of course, whether or not he does so is largely up to him. I hope he does.